NEW DELHI: The protracted debate on loss of Indian Air Force’s Rafale combat jets with Pakistan claiming to have shot was debunked by the CEO of Dassault company which manufactures the said fighter jets.
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier was quoted saying no Rafale was shot down in combat, but India had lost one jet due to technical failure, and a probe into the incident is currently on.
Trappier said, French website Avion De Chasse reported, there was no enemy engagement involved in the incident. The incident “occurred at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission, with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact,” the report said.
Speaking specifically on Pakistan's allegations that three Indian Dassault Rafales were reportedly shot down during Operation Sindoor, Eric Trappier said these allegations were “inaccurate and unfounded”.
Trappier took on Pakistan for false claims in a press conference held on June 15, which Avion De Chasse reported.
During the press conference, the Dassault CEO formally refuted the idea of an operational failure. Trappier quoted the Spectra electronic warfare systems during the conference and said that it had not recorded any hostile engagements during the time slot in question.
Furthermore, the friend/foe identification devices and the flight logs transmitted to Dassault indicated no losses in actual combat, he said.
There has been no official confirmation by the Indian government or the Indian Air Force (IAF) on this issue of loss of a Rafale aircraft under such circumstances.
Meanwhile, last month, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan had acknowledged that the IAF had suffered some losses during Operation Sindoor, while addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
CDS had termed Pakistan’s claims of shooting down six Indian aircraft, which included Rafales, as “absolutely incorrect”.
China behind the smear campaign?
As per the French Intelligence and military officials it was China which was behind the smear campaign against the Rafale fighters.
The French officials, as reported by the Associated Press, claimed on Monday that China mobilised its embassies to question the performance of French-made Rafale fighter jets after their deployment in clashes between India and Pakistan in May.
The Chinese move, as per the report, was aimed at harming the reputation and sales of the Rafale fighter.